State of the System: Customer Service

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Customer Service

Everything ODOT does is customer service, from administering driver licenses and registrations, to issuing commercial permits and driver safety inspections, to plowing snow and fixing potholes, and planning for future travel needs to keep people and businesses moving.

A bar chart that shows public opinion of all ODOT services ranked from poor to excellent as follows: 5.1% excellent, 36.2% good, 42.5% fair,14% poor and 2.2% don’t know.

In recent years it's become harder to deliver these services at the level people expect. We're wrestling with operations and maintenance budget shortfalls, reductions in customer-facing staff, retaining a skilled workforce and being a competitive employer.

Most Oregonians believe that ODOT is doing a fair or better job overall.
1 in 7 Oregonians, however, feel ODOT is doing a poor job.
Satisfaction with ODOT services has generally declined over the years.

Source:Oregon Transportation Needs and Issues Survey (2023)

DMV

The Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) Division issues driver licenses and identification cards, as well as vehicle registrations and titles. We protect ownership interests in motor vehicles – often the most valuable asset a person has.

The DMV collects over $1 billion in revenue each biennium for Oregon’s transportation system at all levels: state, county, and city.

DMV serves nearly every Oregonian aged 16 and older

DMV has about the same number of employees as it did 20 years ago; meanwhile, Oregon’s population has grown by 23%. Our 59 offices collectively serve more than 2 million customer visits each year.

2 million vehicle registrations (plates and stckers) are created or renewed each year and 700,000 vehicle titles issued.

DMVs central call/contact center takes 1.7 million calls per year.

Wait times on the phone and at the DMV offices are much higher than they were 10 years ago.
The average call wait time is 8 minutes.

DMV needs more staff and financial resources to serve people in the way they expect and deserve.

A line chart that shows the average percent of customer served within 20 minutes at DMV field offices each month in 2024 compared to the 80% goal. 64% in January, 60% in February, 56% in March, 62% an April, 57% in May, and 55% in July.

Driver and Motor Vehicle Services – updated 10/2024

A line chart that shows average DMV call wait times have decreased from 14 minutes and 20 seconds in 2022 to 8 minutes in 2024.

DMV Service Index - Key Performance Measure
ODOT Customer Satisfaction - Key Performance Measure

A stacked bar chart that shows 18% of knowledge tests, 23% of driver renewals and 40% of vehicle renewals are done online.

Driver and Motor Vehicle Services, updated 10/2024

We are expanding DMV electronic and self-service options

There are now more than 20 transactions available on-line via the DMV2U webpage. Between October 2023 and September 2024, the following were completed online:

19% of knowledge tests.
22% of driver renewals.
41% of vehicle renewals.

Commerce and Compliance

The Commerce and Compliance Division regulates heavy trucks and trains moving freight in Oregon. Some of these programs focus on safety while others serve customers through commercial vehicle licensing, permitting, payments and more.

On average, 3.4 million trucks per year pass through state weigh stations or ports of entry.

Permits are required before moving an oversize load in Oregon.

60,807 annual over-dimension permits were issued in 2023.
68,589 single-trip over-dimension permits were issued in 2023.

Thousands of freight vehicle transactions are processed over the phone each month

Services include accepting weight mile tax payments, providing Trucking On-line assistance, issuing trip permits and other temporary credentials.

We receive over 10,000 calls monthly from freight motor vehicle operators.

Average wait time is under 7 minutes.

Work is underway to increase on-line services.

A combination chart that shows average call volume compared to the time of day and the average wait time in minutes. The time of day with the highest call volume is between 10:00AM and 12:00PM. The average wait time is under 7 minutes.

Commerce and Compliance Division – Main Contact Center, Updated 03/2024

Visit our DMV website and Commerce and Compliance website to learn more.

To submit a question or comment:

Ask ODOT button - Click to visit the Ask ODOT form

Strategic Action Plan Progress Report

Provide Excellent Customer Service

2024-2028 Strategic Actions

2024 - Launch self-serve kiosks to allow the public to administer DMV transactions.

2024 - Implement a new system to manage public records requests and Ask ODOT inquiries to ensure timely and accurate responses.

2024 - Create a State of the System Dashboard to publicly report on ODOT progress in the stewardship of public resources and advancing the outcomes of the Oregon Transportation Plan.

2025 - Assess public priorities for maintenance services to inform day-to-day operations and understand resourcing needs.

2025 - Launch the Commerce and Compliance automated routing and permitting system (ORION) to enable notification of closures or restrictions and support easy access to permits.

2027 - Implement new vehicle registration and International Fuels Tax Administration System (IFTA) system to provide user-friendly, role-based, self-service tools for commercial motor carriers.

2024 Efforts Underway

Strategic Action Plan

Launching three pilot locations for DMV self service kiosks and identifying additional locations statewide.
Continuing improvements to the new AskODOT service that improves accessibility, and ensures timely and accurate responses.
Testing a new automated routing and permitting system for freight trucks (ORION).
Identifying funding mechanisms to support implementation of the IFTA system.

Other Ongoing Efforts

Equitably connecting access and opportunities to DMV services, accounting for location, mobility, language, race, gender, and more.
Leveraging modern technology and best practices to make operations more efficient, reduce waste, and maximize resources.